THE National AIDS Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Benard Madzima says the new level four lockdown presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to correct the mistakes of the first lockdown which saw a sizable number of people struggling to access essential healthcare services. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview with HealthTimes, Dr Madzima said even though HIV is still a burden on the country’s health sector, it was critical to prioritise other issues such as Gender Based Violence (GBV), maternal health, access to contraceptives, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR),…
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Enhancing Gender Equality and SRH Appreciation Amongst Boys Through The Brotha2Brotha Program
OVER the years, wide spread research has shown that working with, men and boys as well as women and girls leads to gender equality and contributes significantly to achieving health and development goals. By Michael Gwarisa According to evidence gathered by the United Population Fund (UNFPA), it has been proven that working towards gender equality by empowering women and engaging men is fundamental to achieving a host of development outcomes, including reducing poverty, improving health and addressing other population concerns. Men’s and boys’ relationships with women and girls can support…
Read MoreHigherlife Foundation Donates Maternal Health Equipment To Seven Zim Hospitals
THE Higherlife Foundation, through a generous investment from ELMA Philanthropies has commenced the handover and distribution of maternal health medical equipment to seven hospital in Zimbabwe. Staff Reporter According to Higherlife Foundation, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the provision of essential maternal and neonatal health services and severely eroded the steady gains that Zimbabwe had made in improving mortality rates. Over the next year, without intervention, maternal and neonatal mortality rates could increase by 48% and 30% respectively. When we heard about the state of our maternity wards, we knew…
Read MorePower Imbalances Continue To Drive Women Into Gender-Based Violence
RESEARCH and reports show that about 94% of gender based violence cases reported between March to October 2020 were against women amidst indications that men still believe in gender norms and traditional harmful practices which usually lead into violation of women’s rights. By Paticia Mashiri There are mainly four forms of gender-based violence which include economic, sexual, physical and emotional abuse while poverty has been identified as a leading cause of GBV. Speaking at a GBV round table dialogue with women in the informal sector which was hosted by Women’s…
Read MoreZimbabwe Sets-Up National Task force To Monitor ICPD@25 Commitments
ZIMBABWE has commenced the process of setting up a National Task-force (NTF) for monitoring the implementation of commitments the country made at the 25th International Conference on Population Development (ICPD@25) that was held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2019. By Michael Gwarisa Through support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Partners in Population Development (PPD) have selected Zimbabwe and nine other countries namely Bangladesh, Morocco, Thailand, Nigeria, South Africa, Indonesia, India, Benin, and Uganda to take further initiatives to continued national consultations through National Task Forces (NTF) for South…
Read MoreCommunities and Midwives Should Collaborate To Reduce Unintended Pregnancies and Unsafe Abortions – Dr Magure
PARIRENYATWA Group of Hospitals Clinical Director, Dr Tsitsi Magure has called for increased partnership between women pressure groups, communities and midwives amidst indications of increased admissions of young teenage girls into health facilities as a result of teenage pregnancies and post labor or abortion related complications. By Michael Gwarisa The call also comes at a time the country is debating the adoption of the Age of Consent which seeks to reduce age restrictions towards accessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRH) including contraceptives to 12 years, inorder to reduce Early…
Read MoreOne year after Nairobi, the march continues towards rights and choices for all
Despite global COVID-19 crisis, governments uphold support for women’s and girls’ health and rights, one year after historic summit on ICPD25 AS the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the health and economies of countries around the world, governments, non-governmental organizations, international financial institutions and the private sector are stepping up political, financial and in-kind support for programmes that protect the health and rights of women and girls in developing countries. A year ago, at the landmark Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, the world came together to commit…
Read MoreSexual Gender Based Violence Linked To High Unsafe Abortions in Zimbabwe
HIGH cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) have been linked to an increase in cases of unsafe and illegal abortions by young girls and women in Zimbabwe, a top government official has said. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking at the Health and Wellness Day that was organized by the Women Action Group (WAG) in Mabvuku, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Small and Medium Enterprise Development Provincial Development Officer Mr Ernest Chimbodza said Zimbabwe was losing lives of young women and girls to unsafe abortions every year. Ladies and gentlemen,…
Read MoreReligious and Traditional Leaders join SRHR Africa Trust in the fight against GBV
TRADITIONAL leaders have agreed that there are some harmful cultural practices that should be abolished if the vision to end Gender Based Violence (GBV) is to be realised. By Patricia Mashiri These abusive cultural norms include chiramu (i, kugara nhaka (wife inheritance) and kuzvarira (marrying off young girls) among others. The traditional leaders accepted that culture is dynamic and therefore people should not be confined to past practices in which some of them were against women’s wishes and were abusive. Speaking during a GBV dialogue led by Sexual Reproductive Health…
Read MoreWomen Cant Rape Men According to Zimbabwean Law
DO you all still remember those days a few years back when newspapers would be flooded with stories of women who would drunk unsuspecting men, have sex with them without their consent for the purposes of harvesting sperms? Almost every headline screamed “Women Rapists On The Lose.” But do you what the Zimbabwe law says about rape and the procedures one should take reporting a rape case? By Michael Gwarisa According to Zimbabwe’s Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, it is impossible for a woman to rape a man and…
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